2025 Nora's Blog

Business culture in Japan and the world This week's lesson on Business Culture provided me with a clear view of how Japanese workplaces differ from those in Canada. After watching the video “A Day in the Life of a Japanese Retail Worker,” I was surprised by how professional and dedicated the workers were, especially for a retail environment. Every worker’s behaviour was very professional, and they spoke to each other formally. They seemed very structured and cooperative compared to many Canadian retail jobs I've seen, where employees are professional but not to that extent. The main thing that stood out to me was how the manager and staff all went out together after work. In Japan, these after-work gatherings are a normal part of business culture. In Canada, it’s not very common for people to hang out with their coworkers, because it “feels like work” and may seem pointless. Another interesting point is the Japanese concept of Nemawashi, which means preparing decisions quietly ...

Masculine and Feminine Cultures in the World  This week's lesson on masculine and feminine cultures opened my eyes to how values shape societies worldwide. Hofstede explains that these ideas concern "emotional gender roles rather than biological differences" (Hofstede, 2011), which relates to the video we watched. The video also discussed Margaret Mead and how her research shows is really conneed that gender expectations change from culture to culture. Japan scores high on the masculinity actually see this in real life from the last lesson on parenting, where Japanese parents seem to focus a lot on hard work, discipline, and the index, and I canking about the collective. Growing up in Arab culture and also in Canada, I have experienced both ends of the spectrum. Traditional Arab societies are more masculine, where family reputation, achievement, and social responsibilities are prioritized. My experience within Canadian culture is a mix of some masculine values and feminin...

Parenting in Japan and the World This week's lesson examined how cultural values shape how families raise children. In Japan, parenting practices are strongly guided by traditional values such as Ikuji, which highlights the importance of nurturing. As Davies and Ikeno (2002) explain, in the Japanese perspective, "cooperation was emphasized rather than individualism, and because people were protected within the group, self-assertion was considered a form of disobedience" (p.135). This approach is reflected in the daily lives of Japanese families; it's also shown in the video "A Day in the Life of a Japanese Working Mom," where teamwork and group harmony are the main things in family routines. When I compare this to my own culture, there are both similarities and differences. Like Japan, my Arab culture values the family as a whole unit and prioritizes respect for parents and elders. Growing up in Canada, independence and expressing one's opinion are encou...